No coffins exist in the Hindu world, and the only a select group of people are buried instead of burned. These include holy men and children who die before reaching two years old, as it is believed that their spirits are pure and don’t need to be cleansed by the fire. Criminals and people who have committed suicide are also buried, as their sins are too great to be cleansed by a funeral pyre. The feet of the body are positioned pointing south in the direction of the realm of Yama, the god of death, and the head positioned north towards the realm of Kubera, the god of wealth. Traditionally it is the chief mourner, often wearing white, who sets light to the pyre by accepting flaming kusha twigs from the Doms, and the body becomes an offering to Agni, the god of fire. After the body has been burned – a rite that is left incomplete if the family can’t afford enough wood – the flames are extinguished with water from the Ganges, and the ashes are scattered into the river.